


Whumptober 2019

by ddoll02



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, M/M, Whump, Whumptober 2019, check chapters for warnings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-09 01:14:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20845112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddoll02/pseuds/ddoll02
Summary: Warnings for: blood, mentions of gun violence, mentions of drug use





	1. Shaky Hands

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings for: blood, mentions of gun violence, mentions of drug use

Jegudiel tried to carefully guide the scissors through the bottom hem of her button-down shirt. She wouldn’t be able to get this line straight, she knew that already, but she had to get close. She needed at least a mostly even strip. 

Her hands were shaking so badly she could barely hold the scissors. Between coming in from the freezing weather outside, the adrenaline that was still slowly subsiding, and the pain coursing up and down her arm, her whole body was really shaking, but she could really only tell in her extremities. 

She snipped off the length of shirt, letting the scissors drop from her bloody, trembling fingers into the sink of the library’s single-user bathroom. She was sure she’d be safe here, at least for a while. They wouldn’t look here. They’d look in a church first, if they looked anywhere. She just needed a little more time.

Jegudiel angled her body so she could see her shoulder in the mirror. It wasn’t so bad, really. It could’ve been much worse. The bullet only grazed her- nothing to dig out, at least. The bleeding had slowed, at least, but the red still streaked down her arm in drying, tacky rivulets. The button-down was ruined anyway, she consoled herself when she considered the messy cut along the bottom hem. She tried not to look at the tear in the shoulder, or the bloodstain that surrounded it.

Jegudiel made one last attempt to clean up the injury in the sink with paper towels, hopelessly trying to stop the bleeding. She could barely stand upright, actively bracing herself against the sink as she dropped the bloody paper towel into the trash, on top of a pile of other bloody paper towels. She reached for the strip of fabric, barely able to close her fingers around the thin cotton.

There was a knock on the door. Jegudiel nearly jumped out of her skin, instinctively grabbing at her hip for a blade that wasn’t there. Before she realized she was moving, her back was pressed against the far wall of the bathroom, staring wide-eyed at the door, eyes flicking to make sure the lock was engaged.

“Hey, is there anyone in there? It’s been like 20 minutes, and my kid really has to pee.”

It was a voice she didn’t recognize. She didn’t know if that was good or not. She cleared her throat and tried to calm her shaking voice as she said:

“My- My apologies, I can hurry.” Her eyes flashed over the bloody sink and floor and walls and paper towel dispenser, at her filthy coat and suit jacket and waistcoat heaped in the corner, and she added hoarsely past her bruised throat, “But I believe there is another bathroom in the next wing, and you may be best seeking that out.”

Through the door, the voice sounded huffy. “Why they let druggies in these bathrooms is beyond me.” Jegudiel had a flash of fear- was this stranger going to try to get her kicked out? She closed her eyes, just waiting for another knock, for an employee to see what was going on. 

She was crying suddenly, she realized. Or maybe it wasn’t sudden. She couldn’t tell. 

No knock came after a few minutes- the stranger had left, it sounded like. Jegudiel stumbled back to the sink, gathering her strip of fabric and trying to figure out the best way to tie a knot with only one arm.

And so she had the end of a bloody strip of fabric in her mouth when there was another knock on the door. She clenched her jaw around the fabric, muffling a helpless sob. 

“Are we all good in there? Y’need anything?”

Jegudiel forcibly loosened her own jaw, spitting out the fabric. The loose knot immediately slid down her arm, away from the weeping injury. She didn’t know what to say- she just looked at the closed door.

There was a beat of silence, then: “I’m sorry, but if I don’t get an answer then I’m gonna have to open this door, okay? I need a response.”

Jegudiel felt her legs give out from under her, and she crumpled to a kneel. She was going to get kicked out, she wouldn’t be allowed to come back, she had nowhere to go, this couldn’t be happening, this was happening, this was-

Her spiral into despair was broken when the same voice said, “I’m coming in. Last chance, okay?” And the lock clicked open. Jegudiel couldn’t find it in herself to say anything. Hopefully they’d let her get dressed before they kicked her out.

The door opened, just a crack at first, and Jegudiel looked up into worried eyes. What a sight she must be, kneeling in a dirty undershirt and trousers, covered in blood that, truth be told, wasn’t all hers, weeping, shivering. The librarian seemed to take all this in, gaze dwelling on the tear streaks down Jegudiel’s cheeks, on the makeshift bandage around her arm, on the hands that couldn’t stop shaking. 

Carefully, the librarian let herself into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

“You need help, don’t you.” It wasn’t really a question. Jegudiel nodded anyway.

“Can I call someone for you?” She sounded like she already knew the answer. Jegudiel shook her head, and the librarian wasn’t surprised.

“Alright. Well, I can get you a first aid kit and a warm drink. You look like you need it.” Jegudiel nodded slightly. The librarian started to step out of the room, but Jegudiel lurched forward to grab her hand before she closed the door.

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” Jegudiel was painfully earnest, and the librarian was briefly stunned by her dull yellow eyes. The librarian took a moment before she nodded slightly.

“...It’s, uh. It’s no problem, ma’am.” She added, trying to joke and floundering under the intensity of Jegudiel’s gaze, “Just help me clean this blood up once you’re patched up and we’ll call it square, okay?” 

Jegudiel nodded seriously and released the woman’s hand, now spotted with the blood on Jegudiel’s fingers. She settled back onto her haunches, and the librarian closed the door.

Outside, the librarian sagged against the door. She didn’t think she could mistreat this particular woman if she tried. Maybe not Woman, exactly. Human? Person? Being? 

Whatever she was, she didn’t belong here, and she clearly needed helped on her way. The librarian pushed off the door and headed to find the first aid kit and some hot chocolate for her guest.


	2. Explosion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: panic attack, hunting mention, fireworks

It was a very special day- sure, it was the summer solstice, but more significantly, Eligos had given Anne and Al permission to drive the Porsche. Without her being in the vehicle. For a several hour drive. It had taken some finagling, but it really was a day that required a lot of planning, and so the vampires had ended up in the Porsche, with its heavily tinted windows.

Eligos and Malphas had taken the angels out much earlier in the morning- Jegudiel had yet to have gone outside the city under positive circumstances, and some sibling time would be nice for all three of them. Barry had been on the bike with Malphas, and Selaphiel and Jegudiel had piled into the beat-up old pickup truck that Raziel had lent Eligos. Ordinarily, Eligos would never drive something so run-down, and it did take her a bit to remember how to drive a stickshift, but based on how much she crammed into the bed of the truck, the space was really needed.

Because of how long a drive it was, Anne and Al had had to leave while the sun was still up, which is what necessitated the tinted windows. They’d spent the long drive playfully ribbing each other’s music choices and enjoying the change in scenery once they left the city. They pulled up and parked in a wide field, their only point of reference the vehicles already parked there. They were both pretty sure that the group was in this field illegally, but they were also pretty sure that if Eligos and Malphas had arranged it, it would be just fine.

The field was huge, filled with tall grasses and native wildflowers- an area had been hacked clear nearby to make space for a large fire- some meat was roasting on top, and Selaphiel was dozing beside it.

The sun had dipped below the horizon by now, so Al and Anne ducked out of the car. They came around the front of the car and both stopped dead at the sight of the two horses galloping across the field, each bearing a rider. They seemed to be racing, but there really wasn’t much competition.

The chestnut Arabian mare was easily outstripping the black stallion, a Shire draft horse. She was downright prancing circles around him, whinnying joyfully and tossing her mane. He didn’t seem to mind, undeterred from his steady charge, which, admittedly, was still very fast for such a huge horse. 

As they neared, the riders became more visible- Jegudiel on the mare, and Barry on the stallion. Jegudiel was clearly the more confident rider, but they were both visibly having fun. 

The Arabian arrived first, Jegudiel clutching her mane, and she reared up, wheeling dramatically on her hind legs. Jegudiel didn’t slip, held to the horse by her fists in its mane and her thighs around its sides. The horse planted its hooves, stomping divots into the sandy earth, and Jegudiel slid off, practiced and experienced in her movements.

Jegudiel was the most casual that Al had ever seen her, and Al had seen her naked. She was in athletic shorts and a tank top over her swimsuit, a modest bikini. Her hair was loose down her back, and she was barefoot. Al knew that she’d left the house in sturdy boots, appropriate for walking in fields and woods, but she wasn’t wearing them now. 

Jegudiel seemed to be glowing in the dusk, whether she was just sunkissed from the long day or just smiling that radiantly. She swept Al up into her arms, seeming absolutely ecstatic to see her. The mare just nickered, purple eyes flashing. 

“Can’t believe she got to ride you before I did,” Anne playfully smacked the mare’s flank- the horse snorted and flicked Anne upside the head with her tail. 

The stallion had slowed to a trot and then stopped, lowering itself carefully to the ground to let Barry off carefully. Barry pressed a kiss to the top of the horse’s head, and though horses are unable to blush, this one looked like it did anyway. Barry was in his swim trunks and a tanktop, showing more skin than Al had ever seen from him, though he still wore shoes. Pausing for a moment, Al realized both of them had blood on their clothing. It wasn’t their blood, but it was very clearly blood.

Jegudiel promptly explained that, though, by opening the tailgate excitedly to show Al a deerskin, soaking in a large plastic tub of water. 

“Al, look what I shot! Malphas is going to help me tan it.” Al faltered for a moment, glancing between the deer remains and Jegudiel. Jegudiel rushed to explain, hesitant and self-conscious suddenly:

“They are. They are overpopulated in the area, because humans killed the native predators. It is better for the environment for humans to fill the predator niche. Fewer deer may starve with this one having been killed. And we picked blackberries and blueberries and strawberries, and we gathered some leaves that Eligos said would make good teas, and we picked beechnuts to roast. So you will not have to eat any meat if you do not want to.”

Al softened, and she said, “...So you shot that, huh? Get it in one shot? Gun or bow and arrow?”

Jegudiel was visibly relieved by Al’s gesture of acceptance, and she started chattering excitedly about her adventure in the woods with her siblings and the demons. Malphas changed back into a human shape, ending up sitting beneath Barry, who promptly pressed another kiss to his forehead. Eligos, at Anne’s good-natured insistence, remained in the shape of the Arabian mare for a while longer, though Anne needed help even mounting the animal, and Eligos certainly didn’t pull any of the stunts she did while Jegudiel was on her back.

Jegudiel and Al ended up by the fire; Barry and Malphas weren’t long in joining them. They all ate berries, and Al began investigating how best to make a tea over this bonfire. The moon rose, high and full in the sky- it was a beautiful night, warm and clear. The venison over the fire was roasting nicely, though most of the meat had been packed into a cooler to take home. Al mostly erred towards the berries, as she and Anne had filled up on blood before they came out anyway, but she did try the venison. 

The firelight and the moonlight made the area cleared of grass seem desolate and cozy, completely separate from the rest of society. Selaphiel showed everyone the basket of flowers she’d picked earlier, and Anne taught them to make flower crowns. The darkness made it harder, but it also made it harder to judge quality, so no one really minded.

The angels and demons all gorged themselves on their gathered food and on the smokey meat. Al and Jegudiel split off slightly, curling up in the grass to look up at the stars. Barry and Selaphiel quietly bickered about shapes in the curling smoke of the fire. Eligos started unloading something from the back of the truck.

Eligos hollered, breaking the noise of the woods as she tromped through the grass to a second clearing some distance away from the first one, “Hey, y’all, pay attention! I made illegal fireworks.”

Barry and Selaphiel both froze for a second as they mentally defined that one, and then they were both excited. Jegudiel looked at Al hesitantly, not sure how excited she ought to be- she hadn’t really experienced fireworks yet. Malphas, not sitting up from where he’d been lazing in the field, said:

“Is that such a good idea, Ellie? We’ve got a few veterans here in the crowd. Maybe some of us had oughta go home before you shoot off any fireworks.”

Eligos announced proudly, “I actually thought of that! They’re too loud and sound like guns, right? I was ready to not do fireworks, but then I remembered that I’m magic and I can do whatever I want. So, I just changed what they do. Like I said, I made fireworks.”

Malphas mused, “It sounds like you’re just putting on a light show, then.” Eligos bristled.

“Uh, no. First of all, they still explode. Second of all, there’s also sound. Just not firework sounds. I hope you all like Gustav Holst.” 

Al and Jegudiel didn’t move from where they’d been looking up at the stars. Eligos called Anne over to help get things set up. Jegudiel curled close and nuzzled her face into Al’s neck. Al hesitated, then asked carefully:

“...Were there guns, in your war, ladybird? Or cannons, or bombs, or something?”

Jegudiel seemed to consider this for a moment, and then she said, “No, I suppose we did not. We used many holy weapons, and the demons used their magic, but there were not explosions or guns. Most demonic magic was silent, for stealth and such, though they rarely attacked us. We were ambushed a few times, but we would just see a flash of light, and then people would be screaming. No explosions.”

Al shifted her weight slightly, and she said, “...Maybe we should not stay for this, then, ladybird. Eligos makes it sound like this will be mostly lights.” 

Jegudiel shifted, too, pulling away slightly, and she said, sounding disappointed, “I think you are probably right. I think it would be bad if I stayed here.” Al frowned softly at the disappointment in her tone.

“...You still want to watch, though, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Jegudiel admitted. “Eligos seems like she is really proud of it, and it seems like it will be very neat. And I do like Gustav Holst.” She was quiet for a moment, and then she said, “But you are right that it would be bad for me to stay here, underneath it.”

Al suggested, “Could we watch from further away, then?”

Jegudiel looked up hopefully, and she tried after a moment, “Could we go up a tree? I wanted to climb a tree with you anyway, and I was never up off the ground during ambushes.”

Al pushed herself up off the ground, giving Jegudiel a hand up as well, grinning. 

“Hey, Eligos, give us a minute, okay? Jegudiel and I are gonna go up a tree to watch.” Eligos looked up from where her and Anne were arranging things- Anne squawked in protest as she was left to support a pile of fireworks by herself.

“Alright, if you say so. Your viewing angle’s gonna be all off, but whatever. Go make out in a tree instead of the grass.” 

Jegudiel and Al ignored her- Jegudiel grabbed Al’s hand and took off running through the grass. Al almost tripped, distracted by Jegudiel running in front of her, by her bare, pumping legs, but Jegudiel grabbed her arm and kept her on her feet, laughing joyously as Al caught up with her and kept pace.

Jegudiel caught herself on a tree at the edge of the woods, laughing breathlessly as she pulled Al into a brief kiss.She pulled away, then squinted up into the darkness before hooking a hand around a low branch, easily hauling herself up onto it.

“Hey, ladybird, can you see in the dark?” Al accepted a hand up onto the low, thick limb.

“Not really, no.” Al blinked. 

“Then, uh. Maybe you shouldn’t be climbing a tree? This seems unsafe, love, are you sure about this?” Jegudiel seemed to ignore her as she briefly fumbled in the dark before securely gripping a branch and pulled herself up onto it. 

“I will be careful, schatz, I promise.” 

Al pursed her lips and just resolved to watch carefully. “Alright, ladybird. Three limb rule, though, alright? Two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand, on the tree at all times, okay?”

Jegudiel nodded, already breaking this rule and cheerfully hopping up onto a higher branch. “I will, Al.” Al just sighed, slowly beginning to follow her up the tree.

Jegudiel climbed very confidently, but she didn’t really climb like a human would. She used more of her body than most humans, hauling herself up with her chest, her thighs, even her chin, hooking herself up like a bird with a beak, though she only did that once or twice before seeming to become irritated with the bark on the soft skin of her jaw. 

Al just followed her, climbing mostly with her hands and feet. Jegudiel, for not being able to see, was certainly a very good climber, and Al getting involved with the process seemed like it would just throw off the whole system. So she just followed just behind until Jegudiel found a branch that she decided she could see well enough from, and she leaned back against the trunk, hooking her legs around the bottom of the branch. Al pulled herself up as well, settling between Jegudiel’s legs in a mimic of that position, leaning back against Jegudiel’s front. Jegudiel looped her arms around her girlfriend- Al’s hands remained gripping the branch in front of her. 

A few quiet minutes passed; Jegudiel didn’t have any inclination to break the stillness, just listening to the sounds of the bugs in the trees around them. Then apparently Eligos decided that she’d given them enough time, and, to the strains of Gustav Holsts’s ‘Mars, the Bringer of War’, flashes of light filled the sky.

Jegudiel gasped softly from behind Al’s head, breathing after a moment, “Oh, that is pretty. Oh, I have never seen demonic magic used like this. It is gorgeous.” 

Indeed, it was magnificent. They weren’t shaped like traditional fireworks, but they did burst in a way that was similar, spreading from an epicenter before they started to swirl in much more complex patterns than a normal firework ever could. Flowering patterns, fleur-de-lis, shapes that could almost be shaped like people dancing, fluttering briefly before vanishing back into the kaleidoscopic colors.

The bursts were timed to the hits in the music, the swirls to the crescendos and decrescendos. All in all, it was a remarkable bit of showmanship, and it spoke to Eligos’s talent with magical arts.

She really wasn’t kidding about them exploding, though- the field below was rapidly fogging with smoke, eddied away by the cool night breeze. A breeze that was heading directly for Jegudiel and Al.

As the first curls of smoke swept over their spot in the tree, Al could feel Jegudiel cough for a moment, then tense and stiffen, her arms tightening around Al. It was familiar- it felt like when Jegudiel would do the same thing during her nightmares about the war. Jegudiel’s breath drew shallow and even and too controlled. 

“Ladybird? Jegudiel! Stay with me, okay? Jegudiel, listen to me, I’m here, you’re safe, okay?” Al reached up to grab Jegudiel’s arms, which were currently locked around her. At the contact, Jegudiel just tightened her grip, keeping Al pinned against her. 

Al wheezed- she didn’t strictly need to breathe, but she needed air to speak, and Jegudiel was rapidly compressing the air out of her chest. In theory, Al had the strength to remove herself from the hold, but she would definitely hurt Jegudiel in doing so, and she’d probably send them both toppling out of this tree. Instead, she just clutched her hands to Jegudiel’s.

“Ladybird, c’mon, you gotta stay with me here. Ladybird! Jegu-” Jegudiel’s hand flew up and clasped over Al’s mouth- the pressure around her chest eased somewhat, though Jegudiel still kept her pinned, even with just one arm.

“Be. Quiet.” Jegudiel hissed lowly in a tone that Al didn’t recognize. Al didn’t need to be able to see her face to know that her expression was blank and unseeing. Al tried to take exaggerated breaths, trying to get Jegudiel to slow her breathing and calm down. 

Jegudiel’s condition seemed to ebb and flow with the smoke- when it was thick, her grip would tighten, and when it lightened, she seemed to relax. She moved her hand away from Al’s mouth eventually, and Al didn’t try to get her attention again. This proved to be a mixed blessing- the next time the smoke was heavy, Al could feel her ribs creaking in Jegudiel’s hold, and there was nothing she could safely do about it.

The back of Al’s neck felt wet after a while- Jegudiel was crying, she realized, tears streaming down her face. She didn’t know if it was from smoke or from whatever memory she was stuck in, and she couldn’t exactly ask. She still clasped at Jegudiel’s hands, rubbing her thumbs across them gently. The final strains of the suite faded over the field- with no music, Al could hear the others cheering, even from this distance. The smoke took a few minutes longer to fade, the acrid tinge remaining in the air long after the last lights had glimmered away.

Slowly, Jegudiel’s grip relaxed. And then she went almost completely limp, and Al had to quickly press back against her, grabbing her arms to keep her up in the tree. Without Jegudiel’s arms pinning her, Al could quickly swing her legs around so she was facing her girlfriend, carefully keeping her upright and safe.

Jegudiel was crying, but she seemed confused more than anything else. 

“Al- Schatz- What- What happened? I don’t- did I miss the fireworks? I can’t- schatz, I can’t remember.” 

Al breathed a laugh without any humor, sagging forward against Jegudiel. 

“Yeah, ladybird, you missed them. I’m sorry. I don’t know exactly where you thought we were, but it wasn’t here.”

“...Oh.” Jegudiel let her face sag forward into Al’s hair, wrinkling her nose. “You smell like Hell.”

Al laughed again, a choked sort of noise. “Yeah, that’s probably it. There was an awful lot of smoke. I shoulda known some scent memory would come to you in the smoke.”

There was a beat, then Jegudiel muttered, “My arms hurt.”

Al just nodded, mumbling, “That makes sense. You were pretty tense for the last ten minutes or so.” 

“Oh.” A beat. “You were right, then. We should have left.” Al just half-shrugged.

“You wanted to watch, ladybird. It was worth trying.”

“You are crying, schatz.” 

“Am I?” She was. “I hadn’t noticed. You scared me there, ladybird.”

“I’m sorry.”

Al just sighed and sat up on the branch. “Let’s just get down from here, huh? Maybe next time we’ll just ask Eligos to film it so you can watch later.” Jegudiel nodded, carefully shifting to start descending the tree.

As Jegudiel swung her leg over the branch, Al added, “And you don’t have to be sorry. This isn’t your fault. I’m just worried about you.”

Jegudiel didn’t respond, but Al already knew what she would have said. Jegudiel continued lowering herself to the next branch, and Al resolved to talk about it on the drive home. It was a long drive, after all. 

“Hey, ladybird?” Jegudiel looked up towards Al’s voice. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, schatz.”


	3. Delirium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: fever, medication, cigarette mention

Malphas staggered through the front door, arms full, and kicked it closed behind him. He laid his purchases out across the counter and checked it a third time against his list. Antiviral meds, ibuprofen, assorted teas, a humidifier. Check, check, check, check. Plus a few other drinks- he knew that Raphael probably wouldn’t approve, but he’d brought home some of the fancy coffee grounds that Barry loved, plus Gatorade and ginger ale. He hated Barry being sick. 

Raphael appeared at the top of the stairs, looking like she’d just about had it with this whole thing. 

“Heya, doc. What’s the word?”

“Same as it was two hours ago, Malphas. And it’s your turn. You get the long shift. Selaphiel and I are both susceptible to his contagions. You’re not. So get on in there.”

Raphael wandered down the stairs, surveying Mal’s purchases.

“He can’t have coffee right now. We’re trying to keep him hydrated. Caffeine is extremely dehydrating.” She looked everything else over, then sighed. “The rest of it is fine. Make sure he drinks water, though, not just ginger ale. I encourage the tea especially.”

Malphas nodded obediently. “You got it, doc. No coffee.”

“And take your jacket off before you go in there- I know you’ve quit smoking, but that thing is just full to the seams with leftover carcinogens. And he’s in a cuddly mood, so he’s going to want to be all over you. If you can lower your body temperature, I’d recommend that. He’s a little feverish. Something cool will be good for him.”

Malphas nodded, shedding his jacket and hanging it over the back of a chair. Raphael twitched, but she let it go. She just sighed and said:

“I’ll help you get all this upstairs. He’s been asking for you. He was pretty out of it- for a while, he thought you weren’t coming back. He did cry. I got him some orange juice and it seemed to help. I’ll help you get this stuff upstairs.”

Between the two of them, they managed to get the supplies up the stairs and into the bedroom- Barry stirred under the blankets when they entered, but didn’t do more than look at them blearily. Malphas started setting up the humidifier. Raphael checked the prescription, then shook out the correct amount of medication, then added two ibuprofen.

“Here, get him to take these. Doctor said there shouldn’t be any interactions or anything. Anytime he wakes up, he should be drinking something. Check his fever pretty often. If anything changes, come and get me. Consider this official cuddling clearance, too- just don’t let him overheat. I will be back in the morning. Don’t let him-”

She was cut off by a hacking cough from the bed- she and Mal just looked at Barry for a moment before she sighed and said:

“You get it. Just don’t do anything stupid. I’m going to bed. I trust him to you, Malphas.” And she left the bedroom. Malphas finished getting the humidifier set up, cleaning up the table of supplies so he wouldn’t be frantic for anything later. He was interrupted from this task by a weak call from the bed.

“...Mal? You’re out there, right? It’s too dark in here.”

Malphas blinked for a moment, then abruptly remembered that he’d given himself darkvision, a trait which Barry certainly did not have. He quickly flicked a lamp on, and Barry squinted in the light, half sitting up, and smiled blearily, extending his arms towards Malphas. 

Malphas willing came to the bed and sank into Barry’s arms. He was warm, but not too warm. A little feverish, Raphael had said. Barry burrowed his head into Mal’s shoulder, groaning softly as Mal lowered both of them back to a reclined position. 

“I’ve gotcha, cherry, don’t you worry about it.” 

Barry blindly pawed at Mal’s shoulders, then mumbled, “Where’s your jacket?”

Malphas laughed softly. “Raph said I had to leave it downstairs. Too smoky.” 

Barry pouted, pulling away slightly. Malphas breathed a fond laugh, then stood back up. Barry protested, reaching towards him, and Malphas teased:

“Oh, now you want me, jacket or no jacket. Well, now you can just wait for me to get ready to lay down with you. Leather pants aren’t as comfortable as I make them look. You wait right here, cherry pie, I’ll be back.” Barry still pouted.

Malphas did try to be quick. As much as he teased, he didn’t want to leave Barry alone for too long. As he changed, he could still hear Barry’s painful coughing, and that just made him move a little faster.

He slipped back into bed as soon as he was able, now just in boxers and an undershirt. Barry curled close to his side, and Malphas slowly cooled down his own skin temperature, keeping an arm around Barry’s flushed shoulders. Malphas reached to pick the pills up from the bedside table, carefully pulling Barry up to a sitting position. Barry leaned back against Malphas and took his pills, sipping from the water bottle that Malphas held to his lips.

Malphas let Barry lay back down, arranging them both so that Barry could cling to him. Barry sniffed miserably, but, curled up with Malphas, he drifted off to sleep in only a few minutes. Malphas carded his fingers through Barry’s thick hair, then allowed himself to sleep, setting his internal alarm to wake him up whenever Barry did. Being a demon did have some perks.

When Malphas did wake up, his first thought was that he was in Hell. His cool skin was scorching, he was too hot, something was pinning him down- 

And then he remembered where he was, and he got a little bit more worried. Barry was sprawled on top of him, which was fairly normal, but Barry was also clearly running a dangerously high fever. Malphas was awake now, which meant Barry was also awake, but he hadn’t moved yet. Very carefully, Malphas shifted slightly- he needed to go get Raphael. But Barry whimpered softly, and so Malphas stilled.

“Cherry baby,” Malphas whispered, “are you with me? What do you need, cherry?”

Barry mumbled, “I don’t- Please don’t leave me alone again.” He sniffled- he sounded scared. “They’ll be back soon.”

Malphas said gently, lifting a hand to stroke over Barry’s hair, “Who will?”

“The guards.” Barry was choking back sobs. “I have to go on trial again tomorrow.” 

Malphas slowly put some pieces together. Barry thought he was in Heaven’s prison, on trial for a crime he didn’t commit. Malphas was discomfited to say the least. This part of things hadn’t really occurred to him- he knew there’d been a trial, and before that Barry had been apprehended, but he hadn’t really thought about the in-between steps. The idea of his angel in a cell somewhere in Heaven, alone and scared, was deeply upsetting, and he held Barry a little closer.

“It’s- It’s so cold here,” Barry whispered, and, indeed, he was shivering. He giggled, fingers clutching at Malphas’s shirt.

“D’ya think they made it cold here on purpose? To make me miserable?” There was a beat of silence before Barry said, sounding very small, “It’s working.”

Malphas stared up at the ceiling, hand still in Barry’s hair, and he sighed as he started shifting Barry’s weight off of him. 

“I have to go, sweet thing. I have to get the doctor. She’ll know what to do. She’ll make you feel better.” 

Barry’s clammy hand closed around his wrist, but his grip was shaky and weak, and Malphas pulled free easily, carefully lowering Barry’s frame to the mattress. Barry was crying again, still trying to grab at him. 

“Please, please, don’t leave me alone again. I just want to go home.” Malphas backed away guiltily, trying not to listen. He was doing the right thing, leaving to get Raphael, but it sure didn’t feel right. Barry was crying behind him, sobs intercut by frantic, almost hysterical giggling. Malphas stopped in the bedroom doorway, looking at the bed, where Barry had pulled the pillow to his chest in Mal’s absence. He turned away, trying to shake his nerves. He’d only be gone a few minutes. Raph would be able to help. It’d be fine.

Barry’d be fine. 

Malphas would be, too.


	4. Human Shield

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: blood, guns

Things were moving too fast. Jegudiel and Al and Eligos were fighting someone, several someones, but Eligos wasn’t sure who. It didn’t really matter. What mattered right now was that one of them had pulled out a gun. What mattered was that Jegudiel hadn’t noticed. What mattered was that Eligos may be a quick draw, but her clip was empty, and she didn’t have time to reload before it was too late. 

Jegudiel was turned away. Eligos made a split second decision from her position only a few yards away and leapt towards her. Eligos’s main intention was to knock Jegudiel out of the way, tackle her to the ground and possibly provide cover. She did not take into account the fact that Jegudiel was essentially built out of particularly muscular cinder blocks.

Jegudiel staggered forward when Eligos collided with her back, but that was the most that happened. She didn’t fall. Before Eligos had time to try another tack, there was the crack of a gunshot. Jegudiel staggered forward again, but she couldn’t exactly dive for cover with Eligos basically hanging from her back. 

A second report, a third, a fourth, all in quick succession. Jegudiel finally just threw the both of them to the ground on the other side of a dumpster, the only cover in easy reach. She threw Eligos off of her back, mostly just confused. She was even more confused when Eligos didn’t get up from where she’d landed on the ground. Blood started spreading across the pavement.

Eligos groaned, and Jegudiel immediately flipped her over onto her stomach, and she just stopped for a moment, looking in horror at the blood staining Eligos’s back. She hadn’t been ready for a fight, she was wearing a tube top, and it didn’t leave much of the injuries to the imagination.

Eligos was cognizant only of the stabbing pain in her back and of the concrete beneath her cheek. Someone was moving beside her, but she could only gaze toward the movement, unable to make out any specific shapes. She was moving suddenly, lifted up off the ground, and she cried out- she’d swear she could feel the bullets shifting inside her with the movement. 

Whoever was lifting her didn’t stop at her pained noises, and then she found herself riding piggyback on broad shoulders, unable to remember how she arrived in that position. Her back jolted with every step, but she could just whine at the impact.

_Must be Jegudiel_, it hazily occurred to her. _Al would have a harder time doing this._

Her head spun. Her back was burning. She couldn’t move if she wanted to. She wondered why that was- something with her spine? Blood loss? Shock? None of that would kill a demon, so she’d live. But she suspected that in the very, very near future, she was going to pass out for quite a while.

As though summoned by her swirling thoughts, unconsciousness started to overtake her. She lolled completely against Jegudiel’s shoulder, face to her neck.

_She still smells like Heaven_, Eligos realized before completely slipping away.


	5. Gunpoint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: guns, flashbacks, smoking references

Malphas had firmly come to the conclusion that Jegudiel was not currently in her right mind. What had given it away? Really, it was a few things.

The first thing to catch his attention after he entered the house was the mess in the kitchen, as though every single item in at least several of the cupboards had been thrown out onto the floor. He leaned over the long counter into the kitchen, then shrugged and turned away. 

The second thing to clue him in was that upon turning towards the living room, he could see the couch dragged from its normal place. One arm was pressed to the wall, and there seemed to only be a few feet between its back and the wall. Cushions were thrown over the top, as though shielding the gap from the outside world. Malphas wandered over to it. 

The third thing, and this one really got him concerned, was that when he lifted one of the cushions on top of the couch, he could only see a pair of scared yellow eyes.

The real kicker, though, was the gun he immediately found pointed into his face. 

Malphas staggered back, hands immediately coming up, palms empty and forward. “Whoa there, nellie.”

Jegudiel burst up from behind the couch, launching herself at Malphas’s chest. He was thrown to the ground, and she immediately jammed the barrel of the gun under his chin. She was breathing heavily, and she seemed to be staring at him, but he got the feeling she wasn’t really seeing him. 

Jegudiel’s weight was keeping his arms pinned down, and he could only breathe shallowly, even if he didn’t strictly need to breathe at all. His mind raced- this was the moment he came to his conclusion that, for some reason, Jegudiel was not okay. The gun was forcing his head back, so his voice was strained as he said:

“Jay, c’mon, listen to me. Jay, it’s me, it’s Malphas.” She shoved the gun in harder, and Malphas had to choke past the barrel to say:

“N- No, Jay, listen, you’re safe. You’re at home. You’re allowed to stop. Where’s Al, Jay, where is she?”

The gun faltered for a moment; the last question had been more just Malphas thinking out loud about the only person who could probably save him, but he frantically pursued the subject now that it seemed like it might get him out of this.

“Ye- Yeah, Jay, you know Al. You love Al. Your girlfriend, the vampire, Al. Where is she, is she at work? Is Al at work? She’ll be home soon, won’t she? C’mon, angel, gimme something, listen to me.”

There was a glimmer of recognition in her eyes, and her stoney face was beginning to gain some emotion- that emotion seemed to be terrified confusion, but he’d take what he could get. She didn’t make any move to get off his chest, but she slowly removed the gun from under his chin, though it stayed trained on him.

Malphas seized on this opportunity, “That’s right, Jay, that’s right. Come on back to me now. You can hear me now, can’tcha? Just keep listenin’, just listen to me. We’re gonna calm it down, okay? Can you calm it down for me?”

He wasn’t completely sure that she understood him at the moment, but the more he talked, the more she looked confused instead of murderous. He doggedly continued.

“That’s right, Jay, that’s good. Just keep listenin’. Ya got me, angel? Ya hearin’ me? Stick with me now. That’s right, angel, just listen. Where’s Al at, Jay? Where’s she at?” 

Slowly, Jegudiel seemed to fade back into herself. She blinked down at Malphas, and then she realized that she had a gun in her hands. She yelped and threw it away from herself- it skittered across the hardwood floor in the dining room. And then she realized that she was on top of Malphas, and she threw herself backwards.

She scrambled away from him, and Malphas slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position, crossing his legs and facing Jegudiel. 

“I hurt you,” She said, voiced hushed with panic. “Oh, no, I am so sorry, Malphas, I would never- I did not mean- I am so sorry, Malphas. Are you okay?”

Malphas brushed off her concern, idly reaching to rub his neck. “I’m fine, Jay. You didn’t hurt me any. Maybe a bruise or two- you really know how to tackle, huh.” Jegudiel flinched slightly. Malphas said, trying to be soothing:

“Hey. I get it. Sometimes, when something reminds me of Hell, I forget where I am, too. I get scared.” He leaned in and said, as one confiding a secret:

“Y’know that’s really why I smoke? Cigarette smoke? It smells nothing like Hell. Not a bit. It’s disgusting, but in a completely different way than in Hell. I know it’s supposed to soothe the nerves or whatever, too, but I never bothered with that. Made myself immune to nicotine from day one. It just keeps me grounded here on Earth.”

Jegudiel didn’t really seem like she was listening. She looked like she was about to cry. Malphas looked at her for a moment, then said, “D’ya think you could tell me what helped bring you out of it? I was talkin’ to ya, and that seemed to help, but was it something I said, y’think?”

Jegudiel sniffled and shook her head. “No. It was your accent.” She choked a laugh. “Nothing like it in Hell. I was really, really confused.”

Malphas looked at her a second, and then he laughed, too. And then Jegudiel laughed again, less choked. And they laughed together. They glanced away from each other, then glanced back and laughed again, and they kept laughing, long after anything was actually funny.

And if Jegudiel was crying, then Malphas pretended he didn’t notice.


End file.
